fordfixer
09-23-2008, 01:31 AM
Parker's struggles ground Steelers
By John Harris
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 89581.html (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_589581.html)
The nine sacks and indelible images of Ben Roethlisberger repeatedly picking himself up off the turf were nothing but window dressing for what really went wrong for the Steelers on Sunday.
Without a legitimate rushing attack to ease the load on his sore passing shoulder, Roethlisberger and the Steelers' offense fizzled in a 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
For Roethlisberger to have a big day, the Steelers needed to establish running back Willie Parker's presence early.
On his first carry, Parker lost a yard. On his second carry, Parker lost another yard. Parker gained 6 yards on his third carry. On his fourth carry of the Steelers' first possession, Parker lost a yard.
Parker's first four rushes for a combined 3 yards represented nearly one-third of his 13 carrries against the Eagles. Parker's lack of success running the ball irrevocably altered the Steelers' game plan, changing their focus to a passing game that failed because the offensive line couldn't protect Roethlisberger.
"When the run doesn't go, everything is a disaster," Parker said.
On their 11 first-down plays in the first half, the Steelers' coaching staff called nine passes on what is traditionally a running down. Roethlisberger completed 4 of 5 passes for 39 yards with one interception. On the other four pass plays on first down in the first half, Roethlisberger was sacked.
When the Eagles stopped Parker, they effectively took the ball out of Roethlisberger's hands.
"Everything flows together," Parker said. "We didn't run the ball well at all. I think if we could have got the running game going we could have done a lot of other stuff."
Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson set his game plan on a hunch that he expected Roethlisberger to come out throwing.
"I know they like to run Parker, but we anticipated that a little bit, and we probably worked more on (defending) the passing game than the running game," Johnson said.
Parker, who opened the season with back-to-back 100-yard games, couldn't locate running lanes against a defense designed to stop the pass first and the run second.
The Eagles consider Parker an outside runner, so Johnson concentrated on taking away his speed and forcing him inside. Parker's longest run was 8 yards.
"We felt that we had to shut him down on the edges," said Johnson, revealing his game plan for Parker. "As far as getting outside, we did a good job with that."
Kill the run, and the pass will follow. The Steelers learned that lesson against Philadelphia the hard way.
John Harris is a sports writer for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.
By John Harris
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 89581.html (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_589581.html)
The nine sacks and indelible images of Ben Roethlisberger repeatedly picking himself up off the turf were nothing but window dressing for what really went wrong for the Steelers on Sunday.
Without a legitimate rushing attack to ease the load on his sore passing shoulder, Roethlisberger and the Steelers' offense fizzled in a 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
For Roethlisberger to have a big day, the Steelers needed to establish running back Willie Parker's presence early.
On his first carry, Parker lost a yard. On his second carry, Parker lost another yard. Parker gained 6 yards on his third carry. On his fourth carry of the Steelers' first possession, Parker lost a yard.
Parker's first four rushes for a combined 3 yards represented nearly one-third of his 13 carrries against the Eagles. Parker's lack of success running the ball irrevocably altered the Steelers' game plan, changing their focus to a passing game that failed because the offensive line couldn't protect Roethlisberger.
"When the run doesn't go, everything is a disaster," Parker said.
On their 11 first-down plays in the first half, the Steelers' coaching staff called nine passes on what is traditionally a running down. Roethlisberger completed 4 of 5 passes for 39 yards with one interception. On the other four pass plays on first down in the first half, Roethlisberger was sacked.
When the Eagles stopped Parker, they effectively took the ball out of Roethlisberger's hands.
"Everything flows together," Parker said. "We didn't run the ball well at all. I think if we could have got the running game going we could have done a lot of other stuff."
Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson set his game plan on a hunch that he expected Roethlisberger to come out throwing.
"I know they like to run Parker, but we anticipated that a little bit, and we probably worked more on (defending) the passing game than the running game," Johnson said.
Parker, who opened the season with back-to-back 100-yard games, couldn't locate running lanes against a defense designed to stop the pass first and the run second.
The Eagles consider Parker an outside runner, so Johnson concentrated on taking away his speed and forcing him inside. Parker's longest run was 8 yards.
"We felt that we had to shut him down on the edges," said Johnson, revealing his game plan for Parker. "As far as getting outside, we did a good job with that."
Kill the run, and the pass will follow. The Steelers learned that lesson against Philadelphia the hard way.
John Harris is a sports writer for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.